Put Your Hope In God

July 4, 2020 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

Originally posted in December of 2018…

Good morning. Welcome to a new day. There are many things happening in your life today, yet God is still with you because He loves you. Sharing the lyrics and music of the song on my mind this morning. Here is “Find Rest” by Francesca Battistelli

“Find Rest”

He never sleeps, He never slumbers
He’s been awake at every hour
No tear catches Him by surprise
He’s never lost, He never runs out
He never lives in the shadows of doubt
No fear catches Him by surpriseFind rest my soul
Put your hope in God
Put your hope, put your hope in God

He always is, He always will be
He always has been everything I need
How can this be catching me by surprise
He’s ever strong, He’s ever faithful
His love is real, now nothing is impossible
‘Cause nothing catches Him by surprise

Find rest my soul
Put your hope in God
Put your hope, put your hope in GodI close my eyes, and I can see
The arms of mercy holding me
I close my eyes, and I can see
The arms of Jesus holding me

Find rest my soul
Put your hope in God
Put your hope, put your hope in GodPut your hope in God
Put your hope in God

Songwriters: Francesca Battistelli / Ian Eskelin / Jared Anderson

Find Rest lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group

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“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Psalm 42:11

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

God’s Way

June 20, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.^[a]“

Proverbs 3:5-6

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in White Sands National Park in New Mexico)

Trust In The Lord

June 2, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking on the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Love One Another

May 29, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

1 John 4:7-9

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“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4

(This photo was taken yesterday at Palisade Head on the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Commit Your Way

May 21, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Stand firm in faith. Trust God and His plan for you. We will not always see the way or understand His plan, yet we know that all good things come from God. Amen.

“Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.”

Psalm 37:5

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“…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Faith, Trust…Hope

May 14, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God has shown us how much He loves us by sending His One and Only Son to the Cross to die for us, even though we were still sinners. We didn’t earn it; it is a gift from God. No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done…Jesus Christ died to save you. Put your faith in God, trust in Him and you will find hope. Amen.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

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“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:12

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Hope

April 23, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What drives it? Why do we have it? It comes from belief…it comes from trusting. Even when no one believes there is any hope…hope persists. Think about the day Jesus was crucified…nobody, not even the disciples had hope. Jesus, their teacher, the one who performed miracles had died…yet with God anything is possible. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! The stories of hope with God in the bible go on and on…Sarah who was barren has a son…Moses and the Red Sea…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survive the fiery furnace…Daniel in the lion’s den…Mary the virgin gives birth to Jesus and on and on it goes. Don’t give up hope…trust in God. Amen.

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“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke 1:37

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Faithfulness

April 20, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Loyalty…dedication…devotion…commitment…dependability…truth. God is faithful in all He has promised. The struggles and the difficulties have been brought on by our chasing after sin and sinful desires. Even though we wander off…God the Father, our Creator and Jesus Christ His Son our Savior, with the Holy Spirit are faithful to loving us and saving us…if we are willing to confess our sins and trust in God. Amen.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

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“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
²⁶it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:22-26

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Trust His Word

April 18, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God is with you. It is said over and over again in the Bible. The message is clear, we can rely on God…this does not mean your life will be free of trouble and suffering. It tells us that when those things come, we can count on God to guide us, strengthen us and give us hope through those times. Pick up a Bible and see for yourself in Deuteronomy 31, Joshua 1, Isaiah 41 or Hebrews 13 and other places…God is with you, trust Him and His word. Amen.

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“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”^[a]“

Hebrews 13:5

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Don’t Stop Praying

March 22, 2020 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

As I awake this morning there are 2 songs that I can’t stop hearing in my mind that are constant reminders to not give up…we must learn to be patient and persistent. No matter how long you have been praying about something and you haven’t seen a change…don’t quit…keep praying…believe…many people fall away from God because He does not work on our time line. Remember He is God and He knows what is best for us even if we can’t see it. Trust Him in everything. Amen.

Haven’t Seen It Yet by Danny Gokey

Blessing I Can’t See by Building 429

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